[Zig]

No, no, I'm not, hold your horses..

I've noticed a very annoying and vomit-inducing phenomenon.
I had thought it was restricted to gloaters who managed to get a Panasonic G-1 five minutes after it was released, yet didn't have to save up for it like normal people...but alas it seems to have grown.
It is that habit of abbreviating the name of something expensive, which feigns nonchalance and financial ease, yet completely fails to mask a pitiful lack of knowledge of or respect for the thing they've bought...to the extent that it appears they only bought it in order to attention-seek on dpreview, and not to take pictures with.
I had thought it was a mere vague annoyance when they bought their "Panny".
My gorge rises, however, when they just casually toss off that "So...I've picked up a Leica M9, got the Cron, though the Lux just blows it away; say, I'm thinking, what wide angle should I get with it..?"
1. Why on earth do people ever start a sentence with "So..." ? It suggests that we were listenng with rapt attention to a previous dollop of drivel, when we weren't;
2.The words are "Summicron" and "Summilux". Slow your mouth down and learn to spell them;
3. Get whatever darn wideangle you want: you'll be whining about viewfinders next; besides, you're really asking, "aren't I to be admired, given that I believe ease of spending is directly proportional to photographic acumen;
4. Finally, given #3 above...why do the rest of the brainless ruminants bother to answer and advise, when most of them think Elmarit is the name of a Flintstone?

Just my mad five minutes.

[Rufus]

Oh, priceless! Rock on Zig!!

Tell you what, a guy says, "why when I turn the dial of my new EOS 7D do I only get down to F4 when I'm trying to get f2.8?" Answer "you have an f4 lens..." Guys says, "does it make a difference then?" £2000 wasted. (True story).
Yas.

And.............In a recent outburst of typofever ...... " It's not easy making a website from starch!"

[Zig]

Arf!

[shuttertalk]

Hey, who let that canine in??

Great to see you Rufus!

[shuttertalk]

So... I got a new X... X-hunner... I mean Fuj...

Ah wait, that doesn't work.

But anyways, how do you change lenses on this thing?? Just kidding

[Rufus]

Hey, who let that canine in??

Great to see you Rufus!

Hello humans!!! It's nice to be here. How are you??

[matthew]

Zig, people call it Panny because Matsushita gets blocked by dirty-word filters.

Zeiss also has a bunch of exotic terms to its names, such as Planar, Tessar, Sonnar, Biogon, Distagon. These say something about the lens and how it's designed: a biogon lens design is basically symmetrical and only works with a rangefinder, a distagon is similar but designed to clear the mirror assembly in an SLR. These names mean something, and are used with some care.

Here's what Leica's names mean:

Noctilux ≤ f/1
Summilux = f/1.4
Summicron = f/2
Summarit = f/2.5
Elmarit = f/2.8
Elmar ≥ f/3.8-f4

So when I'm talking about a Zeiss M-mount lenses, I can specify the 50mm Planar or Sonnar, and (a very few) people might actually know the underpinnings of the lens designs. Alternatively, I can simply say "f/1.5" or "f/2" and be universally understood by most people who own decent cameras. The unfortunate Leica owners not only have to learn a new language, but also have to watch both normal people and photographers alike glaze over as soon as they talk with any enthusiasm. I only have to face that when I talk to normal people.

Tell you what, a guy says, "why when I turn the dial of my new EOS 7D do I only get down to F4 when I'm trying to get f2.8?" Answer "you have an f4 lens..." Guys says, "does it make a difference then?" £2000 wasted. (True story).

I had someone looking for a new lens, and the one he was interested in comes in different versions. When I was asked why the prices were different, I explained that the two versions have different maximum apertures. When that didn't help, I simplified it to "that one's brighter". So he tried them both, and then turned to me and said "but these photos don't look any brighter than with the other lens". We agreed he should probably get the cheaper one, and that's what he did.

[Wedding Shooter]

We agreed he should probably get the cheaper one, and that's what he did.

Classic.

[Toad]

Some names just scream to be abbreviated though. When the official name for a lens includes both the word "Elmarit" and the number F2.8, when technically they mean exactly the same thing, you tire of typing both - much like the Department of Redundancy Department.

Perhaps the term "Panny" is merely an affectionate term for your bambino. I suppose referring to my "niner" is out if the question then, yes?

[matthew]

I suppose referring to my "niner" is out if the question then, yes?

That's a lens, right?

I hope your Italy trip has been great, and can't wait to see your results.

[Zig]

Classic replies; Matthew, that's a ripper of a tale.
Yeah, I suppose I can relent just a little that a "Lux" means less typing than "larger aperture than Cron"
Toad, I swear the Italian trip is bringing out the louche in you.I think Jules should open up another section called At Home With The Borgias.

[Toad]

Toad, I swear the Italian trip is bringing out the louche in you.

If by "louche", you mean the alternate meaning of pouring absinthe over a sugar cube, you are probably right.

[Zig]

Ah..."absinthe makes the heart grow fonder"....